Syria Deeply Executive Summary for November 20

Article  •  Publié sur Souria Houria le 21 novembre 2015

Every day, we review and analyze the latest news and most important developments in the Syrian civil war and organize them into a curated summary for both general readers and experts. This overview is your quickest way to keep up-to-date on the five-year conflict

Assad Must Go to End Syria War: Obama

The civil war in Syria will not end unless Bashar al-Assad steps down from power, President Barack Obama said on Thursday, adding that it was unlikely the beleaguered Syrian leader could feasibly take part in any future elections, AFP reports.

“I do not foresee a situation in which we can end the civil war in Syria while Assad remains in power,” Obama said.

He also insisted that the majority of Syrians would not accept Assad remaining in power, after his role in the country’s nearly five years of bloody civil war.

“You could not get the Syrian people – the majority of them – to agree to that kind of outcome,” Obama said.

Debate over Assad’s future role in Syria has been a large point of contention between the West and Assad’s largest backers, Iran and Russia.

Russia Conducts Third Day of Intensified Strikes in Syria

Long-range Russian bombers hit targets across Syria on Thursday in the third consecutive day of Moscow’s “massive” airstrike campaign.

Jets flying in Russian territory launched 12 cruise missiles at Islamic State (ISIS) positions in Syria, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, targeting warehouses and command centers in Idlib and Aleppo provinces, AFP reports.

Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers also reportedly hit three “major” oil refineries controlled by ISIS in the provinces of Raqqa and Deir Ezzor.

Moscow said its jets stationed in Syria hit 138 additional targets throughout the country on Thursday.

Saudis to Host Syrian Opposition Talks: State Media

Saudi Arabian state television has announced the country will host talks in mid-December centered on unifying the Syrian opposition, according to the Guardian.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is keen to gather the entire Syrian opposition and help them to [present] one voice and one unified position,” said Saudi’s ambassador to the United Nations, Abdallah al-Mouallimi.

The announcement of the opposition conference follows an international agreement reached in Vienna to launch talks between Syria’s government and opposition forces by January 1.

Al-Mouallimi said the conference will bring together “all shades of opposition,” including influential figures currently based inside Syria.

Although he declined to specify a date for the talks, an anonymous Saudi government source said the talks would most likely be held on December 15.

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Top image: A Syrian refugee, who agreed to be photographed on condition of anonymity because of fear of retaliation against family living in Syria, poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, at the Muslim Association of Lehigh Valley in Whitehall, Pa. Dozens of Syrian refugee families are being resettled in the Allentown, Pa., area, in part because the city is already home to one of the nation’s largest population of Syrians, who began settling there in the late 1800s. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

source : http://www.syriadeeply.org/articles/2015/11/8839/syria-deeply-executive-summary-november-20/

date : 20/11/2015